Browsing: Iraq

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq — It’s late here, 2 a.m., but I wanted to pass on some quick reactions to the news spreading by word of mouth between soldiers that Defense Secretary Gates told Congress he was “interested” in keeping “an additional presence” in Iraq past 2011. The U.S. signed a 2008 agreement with Iraq saying it’s troops would leave by Dec. 31, 2011. Gates is now saying he wants a few more to stay than the 150 who will help Iraqis with Foreign Military Sales. “There is certainly on our part an interest in having an additional presence,”…

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — Sorry, but all those T-walls that soldiers have spent countless hours decorating with unit designs can’t come home from Iraq, said Brig. Gen. Mark Corson, commander of the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command. The T-walls must stay here because of the dirt and sand that has built up on the concrete structures, some of which have stood in Iraq for eight years. “They won’t clear customs so they have to stay,” Corson said. U.S. and Iraqi soldiers and contractors have already started the massive task of taking down the thousands upon thousands of T-walls that line…

Drowning in fiction, soldiers deployed to Iraq have to rely on the Internet or family and friends to send them non-fiction books because AAFES books shelves at Iraq Post Exchanges have few non-fiction options. Photographer Chris Maddaloni and I have taken an informal survey of the five AAFES BX/PX we’ve visited during our embed in Iraq. Look at the picture to the right because it features the one non-fiction book we’ve found so far. That’s right, the Oprah biography written by Kittey Kelly is the one and only non-fiction book we could find. Not a biography on any former soldiers,…

When the tanker platoon with 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry showed up in September to Patrol Base 3 on the eastern outskirts of Mosul the 30 soldiers all lived in one Alaskan tent. One rack next to each other. That didn’t sit well with Sgt. Brian Reed. He built barn frames before joining the Army and told SFC Henry Eldridge, the platoon sergeant, he could build better barracks for Patrol Base 3 if brigade could ship wood to the rural patrol base.

BAGHDAD — Photographer Chris Maddaloni and I arrived in Iraq this week. We’ll be spending the next three weeks traveling around the country trying to get a sense of how the mission has changed and how Iraq will look once U.S. troops leave in December. Our agenda will include stops with the 148th Field Artillery Regiment in Baghdad, the 4th Infantry Division in Mosul, the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Balad, and the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Kut. If you are deployed to Iraq now and see us, say hi. We’ve spent the first few days with Idaho National…

BAGHDAD, Iraq — And we’re not talking about any of that crappy near beer, either. Combat operations might be over, but the two beer allotment for soldiers during the Super Bowl will continue Sunday. Two soldiers in the Idaho National Guard’s 148th Field Artillery Regiment said soldiers delivered three pallets of beer to the International Zone for soldiers to enjoy during the Super Bowl. They couldn’t confirm which brews the soldiers will have to choose from, but said Bud Light and Miller Light will most likely be included. The two beer tradition continues a year after Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.,…

That’s right – soldiers in Europe better get their fill of schnitzel and get ready to shape up. The man responsible for Physical Readiness Training and healthier eating habits in IMT chow halls is headed your way! In truth, the assignment of Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling as the next commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army is a win-win. Hertling is a go-getter who in the past year has revolutionized basic training, physical fitness and marksmanship. No doubt he is being groomed for a fourth star, but if you think this is simply a box-checking job, think again. The…

The Associated Press is reporting that an AWOL Fort Campbell soldier scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan has entered a mental health treatment program instead. Spc. Jeff Hanks went AWOL last year while on mid-tour leave from Afghanistan. He turned himself in on Veterans Day. Iraq Veterans Against the War took up his cause. In a press release, the group described Hanks as an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran “suffering from symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and likely Traumatic Brain Injury. He sought and was denied treatment on two military bases before refusing to redeploy and going Absent Without Official Leave…

Jim Michaels of USA TODAY is reporting that violent incidents in Iraq dropped from 11,203 in 2009 to 8,233 in 2010. U.S. military commanders there, who provided the statistics, said this demonstrates the ability of Iraq’s forces to maintain security in the country. This is the lowest level of violence since the widespread insurgency that followed the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. The peak of violence was 2007 when there were 67,727 incidents, according to the report. The statistics include attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces as well as bombs discovered before they were detonated.

The Pentagon says the defense budget must grow roughly 3 percent above inflation each year to sustain the military at current levels. As a result of the nation’s fiscal fallout, military spending will grow only 1.8 percent in 2012, and 1 percent in following years. That means the Pentagon must cut tens of billions from its budget to make up the difference. How will this happen? Let’s first consider Iraq, where there are some interesting numbers floating around as that nation beefs up its military in the wake of U.S. troops departing.